The Hogwarts Express whistled, and with a slight jolt, began to move. Dora stood at the window of her compartment. Spotting her parents, she waved and smiled until the train turned the corner and the station vanished from sight.
Dora sat down and clutched the edge of her seat, her smile still slightly visible, looking half excited and half nervous. She had waist-length chestnut hair, a pointed nose, a few freckles, and bright hazel eyes. She was slender, but somewhat gangly.
I'm actually going, she thought. This is real.
There came a whining noise from a medium sized crate-basket on the floor, and she exclaimed, "Oh, Albion! I'm sorry, I was so excited I almost forgot you were there." The noise came again, this time as a reproachful bark. Dora smiled. "Well, not quite."
She shifted to the floor and opened the crate. Immediately a twitching brown nose emerged and then out bounced a floppy eared, scruffy brown dog. He sniffed his surroundings cautiously and then looked up at Dora and whined a little.
"I know how you feel." She said softly. "Everything is so new." She leaned back in her seat and looked out of the window a little worriedly. Her temporarily anxious expression cleared. "Look at the world out there, Albion! So green and beautiful! I wonder if there's many magical animals that live around here?"
Albion wagged his tail and jumped onto the seat, put his paws on the window-sill, and peered out.
"For now we can sit back and enjoy the journey. And whatever awaits us after this..." Almost involuntarily Dora pulled her wand out of her pocket and looked at it. It was a dark red-brown in colour, with intricate patterns of vines and leaves carved into the wood. It felt warm and somewhat alive in Dora's hand. She remembered talking to Mr Ollivander that breathless day in Diagon Alley.
"Red oak wood tends to be very temperamental." He had said, smiling slightly. "And combine that with a phoenix feather! You will no doubt get along very well with your wand - and I think in a good way. Red oak does not work well with dark magic."
Dora's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the compartment door sliding open. She looked up. A girl had entered. Her skin was fair and her hair was blonde. Her eyes were green and sharp, and her expression alert. "Can I sit here?" She asked abruptly. "Everywhere where else is full, of course."
Dora smiled and nodded to a seat. Albion wagged his tail and raised his gentle brown eyes in an inquisitive glance. The girl slid shut the compartment door and sat down. She lifted her suitcase up into the crevice above, and placed a small cage with a grey owl inside next to her. Albion cocked his head.
There was a silence. "What's your owl's name?" Dora asked. "I'm not sure what my dog thinks of him, but he's beautiful."
"He's called Vladimir." The girl said. "And I'm Alexie - Alexie Black." Then, with a little pride in her voice, "Sirius Black was my second cousin, once removed."
"That's - wow." Dora answered. "So you're related to Harry Potter himself!"
"Well, not by blood." Alexie answered. "The Black line is huge, though. The Tonks', the Weasleys', all of them are related to me distantly."
"I'm a halfblood. My mother, Penelope, is a witch. She told my father when I was three years old, can you believe? Dad took it very well, though. " Dora answered, smiling.
These words made her think of home. She remembered their three storey house, crooked and old, filled with shelves of books, the walls covered in paintings, the classical music that used to play from the old stereo, and the cosy fireplace and soft snuggly couches. And the forest behind the house, flourishing and green and home to many wonderful creatures. Dora felt a pang of longing.
Dora had lived more of a muggle life than a witch one - her mother didn't use her wand much. She said she preferred the muggle way of life in a family setting, and it had become habit to her. So though her mother told her lots about the magical world, Dora had a lot to learn.
Dora shook her head to clear her thoughts.
Alexie and her looked at each other for a moment.
"Anyway," Alexie said, breaking the silence, "you haven't told me your name yet."
"How rude of me!" Dora laughed. "I'm Theodora - but call me Dora."
Alexie held out her hand. "Nice to meet you."
Dora shook the outstretched hand. "Do you know, it's strange to be doing that! Shaking hands, I mean. In the muggle world there's been a virus, I'm sure you've heard of it -"
"Oh, the corny-virus?" Alexie nodded wisely.
Dora burst into laughter.